Breadcrumbs

Bordeaux [spanish: Burdeos; arabic: Būrdū], founded by Celts in the 3rd century BC, lies close to the Atlantic coast in southwest France, 450 km north of Barcelona, 450 km west of Lyon and 500 km south of Paris. It is the largest city in southwestern France and the 9th largest city in France.

The Romans called the city Burdigala and made it the capital of their province Aquitania. Later it was also the capital of Guyenne during the time of english rule. The city has always profited from its strategic position along the cost and several trade routes, which guaranteed wealth via trade, especially of its wine, still renowned worldwide today. Today it is the capital of the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine, seat of an arch bishop and the historic centre is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has also been the capital of France for three short periods during german invasions in the last 150 years.

The complete old town of Bordeaux has been awarded an ensemble UNESCO world heritage site status. It is nicknamed the Port de la Lune (Port of the Moon) and is known for its consistent architectural character, created in the age of Enlightenment. Above we see the front along the river Garonne and the Quai Richelieu. In the centre we see the Porte Cailhau, one of the main sights of Bordeaux and the former main gate towards the harbour (errected in 1495).

Vienna [german: Wien; hungarian: Bécs; latin: Vindobona], first known settlement as Vedunia by the Celts, but earlier settlements existed. Vienna lies ca. in the middle between Prague (250 km to the nortwest) and Budapest (220 km to the southeast) only about 50 km west of the slovak capital Bratislava. It is the largest city of Austria and the 12th largest city in Europe.

The historic centre of Vienna is one large UNESCO world heritage site. It developed mostly between the end of the osman siege of Vienna in 1683 and WWI and is shaped by the architectural ensembles in baroque, neo-classical and Art Nouveau style of the Habsburg Empire. Following its celtic roots Vienna was a roman castrum and city called Vindobona for four centuries. It first rose to prominence when the Babenberger family moved its residence to the then minor city in the 12th century. Its real height of power however came with the Habsburg family in the 15th century. They made it the capital of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, withstood two osman sieges and created the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the congress of Vienna in 1815. The city became a world centre for music, arts and science in the 19th century (Mozart, Beethoven, Klimt, Freud etc.). Today Vienna is regarded a global city and home to several international organisations like the OPEC, the IAEO, the OSZE and of course, one of the home cities of the UNO. In Europe Vienna plays the role of a bridging city between Eastern and Western Europe.

Our cityscape above presents the Graben, an area once part of the wall of the roman castell, that later became a prestigious central shopping street with grand historicism and Art Nouveau architecture. Here we see, for example, the Anker-Haus by Otto Wagner on the left, the Grabenhof in the centre and the Husaren-Haus by Josef Hackhofer on the right edge.

Lyon [italian: Lione; old german: Leyden], founded by the Romans as Lugdunum in 43 BC, but earlier celtic settlements existed. The city lies about 300 km north of Marseille, 350 km west of Milan and about 400 km southeast of Paris. It is the 3rd largest city in France and no. 60 within the european union.

Lyon is especially known for its history, its unique cityscape, its economical role in France and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. Following its roman foundation it was the Gaul capital for several centuries, before it became the centre of the Burgundian Kingdom. In 1032 it became part of the Holy Roman Empire and it wasn’t before the 14th century, that Lyon finally belonged to France. For centuries the city was the banking centre of France and the archbishop of Lyon is regarded the highest religious authority in France. Another keystone of the cities importance had been the silk trade, which resulted in the cities numerous silk workshops and a fast growth during industrialisation. Also the Lumière brother invented the cinematographe in Lyon. Today the city is a centre of commerce, of education, the major transportation hub in southern France, the seat of Interpol and the „Capital of Lights“, thanks to its annual light festival Fête des Lumières.

Here we see a part of the Rue de la Republique, the major shopping street in the centre of Lyon, running from the Place Bellecour (right edge) to the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) further north. This section in the panorama ends at the Place de la Republique (left). The street was originally created in the 1850s with most buildings reflecting the Haussmann style of the era. Notable are the Art Deco style Cinema Pathé (with a golden rooster on top) and the former Le Progrés newspaper headquarters near the right end of the panorama.

Görlitz [polish: Zgorzelec], first mention as Goreliz in 1071. It is the easternmost city in germany, lying about 80 km east of Dresden, 120 km west of Wroclaw (Breslau) and 120 km north of Prague. Görlitz is the 6th largest city in the german state Saxony and the largest within the region Upper Lusatia (Oberlausitz).

Görlitz is especially known for its well preserved old town, it is member of the working group historic cities in germany. From its early times the city belonged to the bohemian kingdom, later it became part of Saxony, then Silesia (in Prussia) and finally Germany (incl. GDR). It was a strong trade city in late medieval times, esp. due to its monopoly for woad trade in Bohemia. Görlitz was a member of the Lusatian League and as such held rights similar to free imperial cities for some time. In 1945 the new border between Germany and Poland cut through the city along the Neisse river. It’s eastern part is now an independent city – Zgorcelec in Poland. Economically the city has a long history in the production of trams and trains. Nowadays the city is also a favourite spot for big movie productions, earning it its nickname Görliwood.

The street front above is a section of Augustastrasse, a street full of examples of historicism style, which is common in the areas around the old town centre. Görlitz is also known as a so called Pensionopolis, an attractive city with relatively low rents that attracts the elder and retired people. While the city experienced an economic decline since 1990 it still managed to restore the majority of its historic buildings – in large parts thanks to the anonymous Altstadtmillion (old town million). Between 1995 and 2016 each year the city received an anonymous amount of one million Deutsche Mark (later that amount in Euro) to be spent for reconstructing the old town. The results can be seen all over Görlitz.

Chania [greek: Χανιά; turkish: Hanya], was already inhabited by the Minoans and the Greek called it Kydonia, it lies about 100 km west of the capital of Crete Heraklion and about 300 km south of Athens across the Aegean sea. It is the 9th largest city in Greece and the 2nd largest on Crete.

Chania is the major city in western Crete, including a large ferry port and an international airport. The Kydonians were mentioned twice in Homer’s Odyssey. During its history the city belonged to the (often together with all of Crete) Minoans, Ancient Greek, Byzantines, Saracens, Venetians, Genoese, Osmans and modern Greek. It was mainly the Venetians and later the Osmans that developed the city, created its harbour and made it an important centre for commerce and administration. For more than 300 years (1651-1971) the city became the capital of Crete.

Our panorama depicts the eastern side of Chania’s old venetian harbour, which was created in the 13th century. In the background we can still see the old byzantine walls that surrounded ancient Kydonia and which is now the city quarter Kasteli. The main feature here is the former Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque, built by the Osmans after conquering the city in 1645. Its minaret was torn down in 1920 and today it houses a public gallery. The old town of Chania is still defined by its old venetian and osman architecture and the centre of the city is a protected historical monument – the reason for it being the most popular cretan harbour with tourists.

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We documented more streets and places in Chania. Below you can see a preview of a backside view of the old venetian shipyards (Megalo Arsenali) from Kallergon street.

And here is also a preview of the south and west front of the venetian harbour of Chania.

Frankfurt am Main [italian: Francoforte sul Meno], first mention as Franconofurd in 794, but probably inhabited since the Romans. Frankfurt is situated ca. in the middle of the line Brussels – Prague and about 400 km south of Hamburg. It is the largest city (but not the capital) of the german state Hesse, the 5th largest in Germany and the 48th largest in Europe.

Frankfurt had been one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire ever since the division of Charlemagne’s Frankish Empire in 843. From 1147 to 1792 most german kings and emperors were crowned in Frankfurt. The city became a free imperial city in 1220 and kept this status till Napoleon. After a brief period of dependance it was a free city again until it was annexed by Prussia in 1866. Frankfurt gained a status as an important trade fair city as early as the 13th century and it established an early currency exchange system in the late 16th century. Today it is the leading financial centre of continental europe, a leading trade fair city and a significant cultural and commercial centre, including central europe’s busiest airport.

This linear panorama view depicts the northern shore of the river Main from the Bankenviertel (banking district) on the left along the central old town of Frankfurt up to the Alte Brücke (old bridge) on the right. Prominent features are the banks skyscrapers on the left, which form the basis for all classic skyline images of Frankfurt, in the centre of the panorama we see the towers around the central square Römerberg and further to the right we see the large Frankfurt Cathedral (german: Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus). One main feature is missing from this view however, in the middle the river is crossed by the Eiserne Steg bridge, a pedestrian connection to the south bank. See our archive version for more infos, backgrounds and an explanation of the bridge’s dissapearing.

Basle [german: Basel; french: Bâle], founded ca. 50 AD by Celts and later named Basilia by the Romans. Lies in the Swiss-German-French tripoint on the shores of the Rhine about 75 km west of Zurich, 300 km west of Munich and 400 km east of Paris. 3rd largest city in Switzerland.

Basle became a Prince-Bishopric, being ruled by a Bishop, by 999 and in 1501 it joined the Swiss Confederation. The city owns the oldest university (1460) in Switzerland, where Erasmus of Rotterdam and Paracelsus lectured. It was also an early publishing centre of europe. Today Basle is a centre of the chemistry and pharmaceutic industry. The Treaty of Basel ended the Swabian War in 1499. In 1795 the peace of Basel ended the war between France and Prussia/Spain. Also the 1st World Zionist Congress was held in Basel in 1897 and the Basel Convention (1989) lead to a modern international managment of hazardous waste.

In the cityscape above we see the town hall side of the Marktplatz in Basle’s old town. The dominating red building is the city’s town hall, which dates back to 1504 in its oldest parts. Its current shape and facade was designed during a restoration between 1898 and 1904 when the large tower was added as well. An invisible feature of the square is the river Birsig which is covered and runs beneath it towards the Rhine.

Genoa [italian: Genova; latin, german: Genua; french: Gênes], oldest references from the 6th century BC as (a probably greek city) Stalia in Liguria but might have been inhabited much earlier. Lies on the mediterranean coast at the centre of the ligurian coastal arch, south of Milan and in the centre of a triangle with Marseille (west, 300 km), Zürich (north, 325 km) and Rome (southeast, 400km). 6th largest city in Italy, 69th largest city in europe.

Genoa, also called La Superba (the proud one), is especially known for its glorious past. The Romans renamed it Genua and gave it municipal rights. The city had its golden times as the Maritime Republic of Genoa, especially from the 12th to the end of the 14th century. During that time it was one of the leading maritime powers in the Mediterranean with colonies in the Middle East, the Aegean, Sicily and Northern Africa. It controlled Liguria, Piedmont, Sardinia, Corsica and Nice and had trade outposts in many places, especially in Spain and Constantinople. It had another golden time from the 16th century to the French Revolution when the genoese banks collaborated closely with the spanish crown. A famous son of the city was Christopher Columbus, born here in 1451. During the 19th and 20th century Genoa established itself as a ship-building and industrial powerhouse of Italy. Its Palazzi dei Rolli and the Le Strade Nuove („the new streets“) gave the city an UNESCO world heritage site and in 2004 it was a european capital of culture.

Our streetline presents a section of the southside of Via XX Settembre in Genoa. This major east-west street from the city centre (at Piazza de Ferrari) towards the East and San Vincenzo developed in the late 19th century. The street is crossed by the bridge Ponte Monumentale in its middle, which we can see at the left edge. It is a major shopping and promenading street of the Genoese and lined by representative buildings from the period, especially some of the finest Art Nouveau buildings in the region.

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We documented many more streets and places in Genoa. Find some unfinnished examples below.

Avignon [latin: Avenio], founded in the 6th century BC as Aouenion by greek settlers from Massalia (Marseille). Lies on the left bank of the Rhône river ca. 80 km north of Marseille and 200 km south of Lyon. Avignon is the largest city of the Department Vaucluse, the 5th largest in the Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Nr. 46 in all of France.

Avignon has always been situated at the border of different countries, it belonged amongst others to the Greek, the Romans, the Franks, the Kingdom of Provence and Arles, the german Holy Roman Empire, the Papal State and finally to France following the French Revolution. Once in history Avignon became an important political centre – that was after the Pope decided to move its seat from Rome to Avignon in 1309, chosen for its proximity to the papal ruled Comtat Venaissin. For about 70 years the city was the centre of Christianity and served seven popes and two antipopes. Afterwards it still served as a second centre of the pope who sent a papal legate to rule the city. Today the cityscape is still dominated by the gothic 14th century Papal Palace and together with the cathedral and the famous Pont St. Bénézet bridge it earned the city UNESCO world heritage status in 1995.

The short papal rule in Avignon shaped the city more than anything else in its 2.500 years of history, especially with the errection of the Palais des Papes (english: Papal Palace). It was built between 1335 and 1370 by the ruling popes, the main architects were Pierre Poisson (old palace) and Jean de Louvres (new palace). Up until today the palace remains the largest gothic style building in europe. In this panoramic view we see the new palace (Palais-neuf) with the main entrance in the right half, the old palace (Palais-vieux) left of it a little bit to the back and the Avignon Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d’Avignon) left of the Papal Palace. The palace gradually lost its importance and after the french revolution it was used as a military barracks and prison which resulted in the damage of most of its interior and frescos. Since 1906 it is a national conservation project and undergoes restoration ever since.

The Avignon Cathedral was originally built in the 12th century and serves as the seat of the archbishop of Avignon. After restoration in the 19th century a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary was placed atop in 1859.

Find more streetviews and cityscapes from France in our France overview.

Barcelona [latin: Barcino; greek: Varkelóni] founded by the Laietani as Barkeno sometime before 250 BC, later restructured by the Carthaginians and Romans. Lies on the mediterranean coast in north-east spain, about 500 km east of Madrid, 900 km south of Paris and 300 km south-west of Marseille. Second largest city in Spain and 17th largest city in europe.

Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous spanish region Catalonia and its economic centre. It has always played an important rule as a major harbour on the mediterranean coast and is the seat of the Union for the Mediterranean, an organization of european, african and arabian countries. In 1992 it hosted the Olympic Games and it is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site with works by the modernisme architects Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Gaudís magnum opus, the Basilica Sagrada Familia which was started in 1882 and is scheduled to be finnished in 2026, is a major tourist attraction of europe.

The Passeig de Gràcia is regarded the most elegant street of Barcelona and runs through the Eixample from the Placa de Catalunya in the south to the Gràcia district in the north. Here the leading modernisme architects created several representative buildings in the later 19th and early 20th century. Amongst the architects that worked on this street block we find Lluís Domènech i Montaner with the Casa Lleó-Morera at the left edge, Antoni Gaudí with the famous Casa Batlló, the second last on the right and Josep Puig i Cadafalch with the Casa Amatller on its left side. With all these architects and their distinct styles so close to each other this street block was later famously called the Mansana de la Discordia – meaning at the same time Apple or Block of discord and referencing greek mythology in view of this built competition of Modernisme. Find more infos and detail views in our archive or look for other Barcelona streetlines.